Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/138854
M ichelle Williams was just a teen when she was catapulted to stardom as a member of R&B supergroup Destiny's Child. In the years since, the Rockford native has proven her solo chops, debuting on Broadway in the title role of Aida, playing Sandra Isadore in Fela!, and releasing three solo albums, with the number one hits "We Break the Dawn" and "The Greatest." In an exclusive interview for Michigan Avenue with fellow performer Deborah Cox, Williams shares the inspiration behind her new album, Journey to Freedom, as well as some of her greatest joys, from harmonizing to life in the spotlight and people-watching in the Gold Coast. DEBORAH COX: When was the moment you knew that you wanted to be a performer? MICHELLE WILLIAMS: I was 4 or 5. My mother had these mirrors in the living room that I would always stand in front of to perform. DC: I was about 6 when I really knew that singing was something I wanted to do. [My sisters and I] would always put on performances in front of the couch, and we'd tell everybody to stop whatever they were doing 'cause we were getting ready to do our little performance. MW: Wow! When [I was] younger, I would always harmonize everything. DC: [Laughs] Yes. Whatever was playing, we would all harmonize with each other, or I would harmonize with whatever was on the radio. MW: Exactly. DC: That early development is so key because it just allows you to be free when you have to perform in front of a band, and you need to pick up a certain section in a song and you know you can do it. MW: Could you imagine if you couldn't harmonize? Oh, my God, Deborah. DC: Oh, my gosh. [Laughs] I know so many new performers—they just sing the lead all the time, and that's cool, but it's nice if you can harmonize.... MW: Harmonize, blend, take the background for a minute. DC: How was that for you, being in a group, stepping out when you need to step out, and then also having the discipline to harmonize? MW: Before I got in Destiny's Child, I was already in two gospel groups back at home: [one with my girlfriends] and in a group with some older women at my church. When I got in the group, I was so confident. When they asked me to sing something, Beyoncé and Kelly [Rowland] were like, "Oh, my God. She's the one right here." I don't have a problem being in the group, stepping out solo, going back to it.... I have no problem adapting to whatever I'm in. DC: That's the strength of being in musical theater and doing what we do: You learn how to play your part. There's a time for you to shine and do your thing, and there's a time where you need to be supportive. MW: It makes what we do interesting. Somebody just came up to me the other day in Dallas and said, "I saw you in Aida!" [Williams's Broadway debut] I was like, "Oh, my God!" I'm hoping I've made improvements. Deborah, that was 2003. DC: Isn't it amazing how the time flies? MW: Ten years. I consider myself a little girl up there on that stage thrown to the wolves. I pretty much was. My very first Broadway role was a lead character. That's absolutely insane. Even with Destiny's Child, I didn't have a lot of experience, but growing up [and participating in] the Creative and Performing Arts program [in Rockford's schools] gives you the confidence to just go for it. I'm very proud that I can look at my résumé and see all I've done, and I can't wait to do more. I hope to originate a role on Broadway one day. I'm very excited about my growth. DC: A lot of the best moments for me have been when I've been thrown into a situation. [Laughs] I could only imagine the circumstances you must have been put in where you just had to go with it. MW: You go with it; you just smile and say, "I am built for it. I can do it." DC: What's the first thing you do when you're back home in Chicago? MW: I stay in my house for, like, two days. I just need time to decompress. DC: And after that? MW: I love to people-watch, so I love going to Tavern on Rush or Gibsons. I know they say you're supposed to sit outside on the patio for only an hour or two, but I find myself there for, like, six hours people-watching. I love walking along the lake. I will never forget one time I rode my bike—I kid you not—from the South Loop, Museum Campus area, and I was just riding along the lake and ended up in Evanston! On the way back, I walked, and then I took a boat tour because I just got so tired. A lot of my friends are like, "I'm never coming to Chicago; it's too cold!" So I tell them, "Come in the summer first, and then hopefully that will tempt you to maybe say, 'I can deal with coming back any other time because it's so beautiful.'" DC: How does your upcoming album, Journey to Freedom, focus on your life? MW: People identify when your music comes from the heart and speaks truth. There was a time last year when I didn't know if I could record and finish one song, and it took me a while to really be comfortable and allow other people to help me with my thoughts. We had some incredible writers who were able to help me with my own situation, and it really helped deliver me out of some of those dark moments. "I'm very proud that I can look at my résumé and see all I've done, and I can't wait to do more." MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM 102-107_MA_FEAT_CoverStory_SUMMER13.indd 105 105 6/18/13 12:53 PM